Liquid rheostat.



PATENTED JUNE 23, 1908.

H. W. CHENEY. LIQUID RHEOSTAT. APPLIATION PILBD 00T. 31,1906.

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although capable of genera not vlimited to such use.

45 and accompanyin UNITED snlrpasrnnr OFFICE HERBERT W. CHENEY, Ol" `YORWOOD. OHIO, ASSIGNOR TOLLIS-CHALMIRS COMPANY, A CORPORATION OI NEW JERSEY, AND THE BFLLOCK ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING OOM PANY, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

LIQUID RHEosTAT.

Appnc'aaon-axea october s1, 190e. serial No. 39,382.

To all tbhomfit may concern- Beit known that I, HERBERT W..CH} 3NEY, la citlzen of the United States, residing at Norwood, 1n the county of Hamilton and 5 State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Li -uid Rheostats, of which t e following is a full, clear, and eX- act specification. V

My invention relates to liquid rheost ats, and

r use, it is particularly applicable for starting electric motors.

Where currents. of very large am erage are to be regulated, or where'a heavy oad is to be placed on a generator, such as is necessary while testing machines, the liquid rheo stat presents many advantages. Certain of the liquid rheostats now in common use are open 'to a variety of objections and it is therefore the object of my present invent-ion to overcome these objectlonsby employing. a

rheost at very simple in construction, compact 1n form and adapted for use 1n a great number of places; and to so combine it with a revers-A ing switch that the two may be usedtogether. A As shown, my lnventionis `applied for estarting electric motors, but' obviously itv is In one aspect my invention consistsjofna 'controller comprising a liquid Arlie ostat,; a reversng switch, yand a common operating handle for the rheostat and reversing switch.

In a more specic aspect my invention comprises the combinationof a liquid rheostat having xed and movable platesf, \a reversing switch, and a common operating handle for the reversing switch'and.t e'lmovable plates so constructed and connected that 'when the reversing switchhasl been thrown in either direction the movable plates may be actu ated throughout theirrange of movement without interru ting or'changin'g the circuit connections of t e reverslng switch.

The details of my invention will be bettery understood 4from' the' following description drawings and the .novel features thereof will be denitely .set forth iny the claims;

Figure 1v is an end elevation of my improved rheostatsome parts .being shown lin section; Fig,- 2 is a front' elevation of'the same, with the inclosing lcasing for the reversing switchshown in section; and Fig. 3 is a diagram showing -my rheostat as connected f orstarting an Velectric motor.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. being adjust ably fastened y, the plates 7, 8 and 9.

mally ,Patented .Tune 28, 1908.

The rheostat is made 'in the form of a Water-tight rectangular wooden box or receptaf cle 5 containing water or other liquid and o 4en at the top. Two 4.rods 6 extend across t1e finterior of this box near the bottom these rods are supported a plurality'of'iixed plates 7, 8 and 9, these vlates on the ro s by means of collars 10. Atl the top vof the lates 7, 8 and 9 are connectors 11 in whic `are placed the ends of conductors 12, joined in common'to one side of the electrical circu1t.

At the to of two sides ofthe receptacle 5 are placed earings 13 and -14 in which is j ournaled a shaft 15. Mounted on this shaft are movable lates 16 and 17 counterbalanced by weights 18 and 19 and adjustably fastened to Ithe shaft by screws 5,0. -The plates 16 and 17alternate in position with tachedto the plates 16 and 17 are the ends of'cables 21 which are connectedin multiple to the other side of the electrical circuit.

The plates 16 and 17 arenormally in the poj sition shown in Fig. 2 entirely out of the receptacle 5, but they c-an be'lowered,into the r ceptacle and immersed to a greater yor less degree in the'contents thereo by rotating the shaft 15. When the plates arefully im-I mersed inthe waiter inthe receptacle5, con-V tacts 22 and 23 carried by them respectively engage with contacts 24 and 25l carried by the -middle ixed plate 8 to short-circuit" the liquid. art of the rheostat and connect the two si es of the circuit together metallically'.

. Attached to the front of the box 5, -is a smaller casing 26 for areversing Switchs In this casing are (placed siX xed contacts 27 to 32,'connecte as shown in Fig. 3, With these ixed contacts cooperate two movablev contacts 33 and 34. The movable'contacts are arranged to always engage with the contacts 28 and 31 respectively, and to be norout of engagement with any of the other contacts but movable to engage either with the contacts 29 and- 32'respectively, o1' 27 and 30 respectively. y The movable con-- Vtacts of this reversing switch are mounted on but insulated from a lever 35, pivoted at 36 .to swing in either direction from the'vertical position in which it is shown in Fig. 2. A manually released latch 3 7 ,is 4normally spring pressed into engagement with ofte of In connectors 2O atthe reversing switch the notches of the stationary notch plate 38 to hold the lever with its connected parte in any desired position. A connecting rod 39 of wood or other insulating material extends between a projection'40 on the lever 35 and the end of an arm 41 fixed on the end of the shaft 15. Thus the same handle 42 at the end of lever 35 is arranged lto operate both and the movable plates of the rheostat.

lVhen the handle 42 is in the vertical position as shown in Fig. 2, the movable'contacts of the reversing switch engage only with the fixed contacts 28 and 31 respectively, and the movable plates 16 and 17 of the rheostat are entirely out of the water, as indicated. As the handle is moved toward either side of the vertical, the movable contacts of the reversing switch are swung to engage with others of the fixed contacts and the movable plates of the rheostat are lowered toward the water in the receptacle 5,v

and into it to complete the circuit after the reversing switch has made contact at one side or the other. In Fig. 3 this circuit is shown as the circuit of a motor whose field and armature are represented at 43 and 44 respectively, the direction of current through the armature being reversed by the reversing switch.' When the handle has been moved far enough for the latch 37 to engage the first notch on either side of the center of the notch plate 38 small ortions of the plates 16 and 17 are immersed in the water and the resistance of the rheostat is at 4its maximum. As the lever 35 is moved farther from the vertical the movable contacts of the reversing switch merely slide between the parts of the fixed`co'ntacts without changing the connections, and the plates 16 and 17 of the rheostat are lowered deeper into the water to diminish the resistance of the/ rheostat both because of the greater immersed area of said lates and because of the lessening of the istance between them and the fixed plates. When the lever 35 has been moved as far as possible from the vertical and the plates 16 and 17 have been lowered into the water to their utmost, the projections 22 and 23 engage with. the projections 24 and 25 to short-circuit the liquid part -of the rheo= stat and allow as high an electromotive force as possible to be impressed upon the motor to e regulated.

By moving the lever 35 backward toward the vertical, the resistance in the motor circuit can be increased and the circuit finally broken. By moving said lever to different sides of the vertical, similar results can be obtained, save that the motor rotates in the op osite direction.

ifany modifications in the precise arrangements herein shown and described may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention. 'For instance the number of ling the other electrode, means fixed and movable plates of the rheostat may be anything desired and the precise method of connecting the reversing switch and the rheostat may be widely varied. All such modifications which come within the scope of my invention l aim to cover in the following` claims.

What I claim as my invention is z- 1. A controller comprising a liquid rheostat, a reversing switch, an operating handle for the reversing switch, and mechanical connections from said handle to the rheostat to operate the latter in the same direction when the handle ismoved in either direction from its central position.

2. The combination of a liquid rhe'ostat having fixed and movable plates. a reversing switch, and a common operating handle for the reversing switch and the movable plates so constructed and connected that when thc reversing switch has been thrown 'in either direction the movable plates may be actuated throughout their range of movement without interrupting or changing the circuit connections of the reversing switch.

3. A Water rheostat comprising a receptacle for the water, a fixed plate immersed m the watertherein, and a movable plat e which may be variably immersed in the water, in combination with a reversing switch and an operating handle therefor, and mechanical connections from the handle to the movable plate so arranged that the plate is moved in the same direction for a movement of the handle in either direction from its central position.

- 4. In a water rheostat, the combinatie. of a rece tacle for the water, a plurality of con necte fixed plates forming one electrode, a

lurality of connected pivoted plates formfor rotating the latter plates to v ary their depth of immersion, and means for adjusting the perpendicular distance between adjacent plates.

55 In a water rheostat, the combination of' a rece tacle for the water, a plurality of connecte fixed plates forming one electrode, a plurality of connected pivoted plates forming the other electrode, means for rotating the latter plates to vary their depth of immersion, and means for short-circuiting the liquid when the pivoted plates are most deeply immersed, said means being then immersed in the liquid.

6. ln a water rheostat, the combination of a rece tacle forthe water, a plurality of' connecte( fixed plates forming one electrode,a

lurality of connected pivoted plates formmg the otherelectrode, means for rotating the latter plates to vary mersion, and projections from the electrodes arranged to engage when the rotatable plat es are most deeply immersed.

7. In a water rheostat, the combination of a receptacle for the water, av plurality of contheir depth of. im-- f are most deeply immersed.

nected fixed plates forming one electrode, a-

plurality of connected pivoted plates forming `the other electrode, means forll rotating the .plurality of connected pivoted plates form Iing the other electrode, means fpr rotating the latter plates tol vary their depth ofimmersion, and projections from the electrodes arranged When the rotatable plates are most deeplyimmersed to engage 'toshort-circuit the li uid of the rheostat.

9. C11n a Water rheos'tat, th'evcombination of a receptacle for the Water, relatively movable plates, at least some of Which can be variably -immersed in the Water in the-receptacle, said and the mavableplate. v

11. A Water rheostat comprisinga recepplates forming the rheostat electrodes, andk means Within the receptacle for shortcir' cuiting the liquid part of the rhostat When all the plates' are immersed to a predeter-V mined oint."

10. n combination, aliquid rhe'ostat havinga ixed plate and acounterbalanced movv ablev plate, a reversing switch7 and a common -operating handle `for the reversing switch tacle for thewater,v fixed plates lmmersed in the contents' of saidfreceptacle,- and counterbalanced movable plates which may bfe variably immersed in said contents, l in conibination with a reversing switch, and a common 'operating handle forthe reversing switch and the movable plates.

, 12. In a Water rheostat, the combination v of a receptacle -for the Water, an electrode formed -of a -plurality of connected yfixed plates, a second electrode. formed of a rality of connected ivofted plates,'all of said lates being lateral y adjustable, and means tor rotating vthepivoted plates to varyth'eir depth of immersion.V

1-3..In a Water rheostat, the combination y of a receptacle Jfor the water, .an electrode formed' 'of a plurality .of l connected lfixed plates; a second electrode formed of a plurality of connected pivotedrplatespsaid pivoted plates being laterally adjustable, and

meansfor rotating the latter plates-to vary their depth of immersion. l

- 14. 4In a Water rheostat, the combination of a receptacle for thel Water, anelectrode formed. of a plurality of connected fixed tating In testimony whereof I aix my signature, in the presenceof twowitnesses.

IHERBERT CHENEY;

`Witt-lessee l ARTHURl RKWrs,

GEO.- B. SGHLEY.

plates, said plates being laterally adjustable, l asecond electrode formed of a plurality of connected'pivoted plates, and means for ro-4 the latter plates to vary their depth of immersion.l 

